HAZARDS 2018

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september 2018 :: RMTnews 22 R MT members attended a conference organised by the Hazards campaign supported by various health and safety organisations and trade unions. Conference workshops covered many subjects including mental health and stress - depression will be the second biggest health issue in the workplace by 2020 -air pollution, driving at work and hierarchy of control. They were based on reps experience from different unions and was a good opportunity to learn from each other. Louise Taggart of Safety Health Practitioner magazine spoke about the death of her brother, an electrician and about the HSE figures for worker deaths each year not being the full story. Accidents at work is the figure the HSE produce but what about the deaths caused by work – suicides due to work related stress, road traffic accidents where vehicles have not been maintained correctly by the employer for example. Asli Odman from Turkey of Istanbul Workers Health and safety Assembly spoke about how figures for accidents were faked and the fact that there were hardly any and safety regulations. A Criminologist from Open University) Steve Tombs has appeared on various accident related documentaries over the past year on Grenfell and what lessons are to be learnt from it. He spoke about Social murder, a phrase used by Friedrich Engels in his 1845 work The Condition of the Working-Class in England whereby "the class which at present holds social and political control places hundreds of the working classes/poor in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death. “Look at all the issues around Grenfell and think about how this could happen in an area where there are some of the most expensive houses in London and you can draw comparisons to Engel’ words,” he said. It was interesting that Piper Alpha was mentioned quite a lot and compared to Grenfell, as it was another case of de- regulation of rules and standards contributing to a huge amount of deaths. Campaigner Audrey White was played by the actress Glenda Jackson in the film Business as Usual which was based on events in the 80s when after raising the issue of sexual harassment taking place in her workplace in Liverpool she was sacked. Audrey spoke about solidarity as not just members of her own union but from across all sectors and backgrounds, dockers, car workers, unemployed people, HAZARDS 2018 LEGAL STATEMENT RIGHT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE POLITICAL FUND In accordance with section 84A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 RMT is obliged to inform, on an annual basis, any member who joined the union on or after March 1 2018 that they are entitled to choose to withdraw their contributions to the union’s Political Fund if they submit a withdrawal notice. For the avoidance of doubt, the union does not recommend that you do this as the money it receives from the Political Fund is vital to much of the campaigning work it undertakes. However, if you wish to withdraw your contribution to the Political Fund you need to submit a withdrawal notice making clear you no longer wish to contribute to the Union’s Political Fund. In this notice you should set out who you are, what your address is and what branch you are in. You can submit the withdrawal notice either by delivering it by hand to the Union’s head office or your branch office or by emailing info@rmt.org.uk . The union will then action your request. You can also ask us to provide you with an electronic version of a withdrawal notice for you to complete to facilitate your withdrawal and we will do this immediately if you email info@rmt.org.uk.